Oh, the In-sanitary!

Okay, I admit it. I’m a sanitation fiend. Thanks to my Kleenex-carting, Purell-packing, Bandaid-bearing mother, I grew up in a house where dinner wasn’t served until hands were washed and sniffles silenced. In no way was Mommy a monomaniac, but the thought of germs in the casserole made her cringe.

The mm/c crew has only gotten a taste of my neurosis via my predictable Windexing of office surfaces at the day’s end. I can’t stand the sight of a sexy glass desktop muddled by icky finger prints and beverage rings.

All kidding aside, I find it necessary to make the distinction between neat freaks and germophobes, as I am merely the latter. I’ve certainly stockpiled my fair share of crap over the years, but give me a soiled pillowcase or a sticky handshake, and I’ll gag in your face. That’s why I depend on Purell hand sanitizer for my anxiety about MTD’s – Manually Transmitted Diseases.

When Purell pioneered the hand sanitizer movement several years back, I jumped for joy. One squirt of the stuff equaled instant extermination of 99.9% of germs. Finally, good old corporate-consumer America could empathize (and capitalize): a much-needed counterattack on the prokaryotic plague that haunts subways and public restrooms, endangering the health of our youth!

Over the years, hand sanitizer has worked its way into the ranks of prestigious household staples, rivaling paper towels and laundry detergent in Mommy-approved value. The trusty product has since evolved into travel-sized, scent-infused, baby-friendly sprays, gels, lotions, soaps, wipes, mists, and even key chains and cell-phone adornments. For you tree huggers out there, there’s even an alcohol-free organic blend (but I don’t trust it!).

Here are a few of my favorites:

Purell Hand Sanitizer, about $4.00 for a 2 oz bottle. Old faithful, now available in different scents – I personally enjoy “ocean mist,” which lessens that alcohol-y, hospital-y smell. Visit www.purell.com or purchase at any general merchandise or drug store.

CleanWell All-Natural Hand Sanitizer, $7.99 for a 1 oz spray bottle. This organic version comes in many scents such as orange vanilla, lavender absolute, and ginger bergamot. Because it contains no ethanol, it’s especially great for kids, infants, and sensitive skin.

Frais Spa Hand Sanitizer (lotion), $29.00 for a 15 oz bottle. For you luxury-lovers out there, leave it to the Australians at Frais to be the first to create a rich, spa-quality hand sanitizer, available in gel, travel size, and my personal fave, lotion.